How to Compare Brands of Compost
- 1). Pick up a handful of each compost and feel it. Compost should be loose and granular without large chunks of undecomposed material. Avoid compost varieties with large chunks of bark or other solid materials in it.
- 2). Look over the compost. Compost should be dark brown or black in color. The darker that compost, the more rich it is in organic materials.
- 3). Pick up a bag. Compost should be moist, not dry or soggy. Since compost is sold per weight, if it is soggy or waterlogged, you will mostly be paying for water in improperly stored or packaged bags.
- 4). Smell the compost. Good compost should have an earthy smell. Most bagged composts will have a slightly musty smell from being confined in plastic. If compost smells sour or rotten, avoid it.